King of the Wilderness

Chapter 121: Chapter 114: Cabin Construction Underway

Lin Yu’an used his Xu Gong loader to steadily place a four-meter-long, debarked log onto the band saw’s track, securing it tightly with special clamps.

Then he started the Honda GX390 engine, and the massive band saw blade instantly reached a high speed, emitting a ”buzzing” sound!

He gripped the operating lever of the main head, pushing it forward steadily along the track.

Accompanied by a linear ”sizzling” cutting sound, a uniformly thick plank was neatly cut from the log!

David rushed forward, touching the smooth cut surface: ”Wow! This... this speed is simply incredible.”

Lin Yu’an shut off the machine, equally satisfied as he looked at the result.

After testing the band saw, Lin Yu’an and the two others sat around the rented cabin’s fireplace, the table spread with the blueprint of the entire plan.

”Lin, so what’s our next plan?” David asked, holding a hot coffee, his tone filled with anticipation.

Lin Yu’an pointed to the complex foundation drawing drawn by Old George.

”To achieve the construction of this foundation, we still need to prepare materials and an auger attachment, which can’t be found in Wiseman.”

”Moreover, another container I ordered from back home has already cleared customs and been transported to a rental warehouse in Fairbanks.”

”I need to go open it, take out some urgent items first, and wait until the snowmelt period ends to transport it all over.”

He pointed to the pile holes on the foundation drawing, saying, ”Also, I need to equip the Xu Gong loader with an auger attachment to drill through the permafrost here. This can only be rented from a specialized company in Fairbanks.”

”Finally, and most importantly, the materials needed for the foundation, cement, rebar, sand, and gravel, all have to be procured in one go from Fairbanks as well.”

Lin Yu’an got up, tidied his clothes, and looked at David: ”So, let’s go. First, we’ll go to Old George’s house to borrow his pickup and trailer.”

”Then head to Fairbanks, rent the equipment, buy the materials, and finally go to my warehouse to pick up the goods and transport everything back here.”

When the three of them arrived at Old George’s house, the old man was sitting in a rocking chair by the window in the living room, basking in the precious morning sunlight of the Northern Territory.

Like all gun-loving old cowboys from Texas, Old George also tinkered with guns during his leisure time.

He held an oiled cloth, carefully wiping his Remington Model 700 Rifle, the stock already polished to a glossy shine by his hands.

”Hey kid, by the looks of it, you’re ready to set off?”

Old George saw them and asked with a smile, not getting up but gesturing with his eyes to the empty seat beside him.

”Yes, George. I’m here to borrow your car.”

Lin Yu’an got straight to the point, the most comfortable way of communicating with Old George.

”Of course, no problem.”

Old George stood up, leaned his beloved rifle steadily against the wall, went inside, and took out a set of keys with brass accessories, tossing them to Lin Yu’an.

”That’s the key to my old Ford. I just filled it up yesterday. The twin-axle flatbed trailer behind the yard, remember to check the tire pressure, it hasn’t done a long haul for a while.”

With Old George’s help, they together hitched the huge twin-axle flatbed trailer to the back of the old Ford.

The heavy metal clanking sound when connecting the hitch marked the official launch of this procurement plan!

”George, goodbye, we’re setting off.”

”Goodbye? No, I’m coming with you; it’s time I visit some old friends in town, too.”

Dalton Highway was at its muddiest period, the road uneven like a patched-up old carpet.

But experienced drivers knew where to drive smoothly and where they wouldn’t get stuck.

Old George drove his old Ford, not fast but extremely steady, his decades of driving experience allowing him to easily maneuver each hidden bump.

Upon arriving in Fairbanks, Lin Yu’an didn’t rest and headed straight to the industrial area in the suburbs.

Their actions strictly followed Lin Yu’an’s prior planning.

The first stop was the largest construction equipment rental company in Fairbanks.

Old George was obviously a regular here, using his decades of experience to skillfully haggle with the rental company’s manager.

”Hey, Bob, don’t give me that. This price is for those suckers coming from the mainland.”

Old George patted the counter, ”My friend here, he’s building a real home in Wiseman, not some vacation spot! You need to give him a fair price.”

Finally, with Old George’s influence, they rented the auger attachment with two extended drill rods at a very reasonable package price.

While going to the warehouse to pick up the goods, David curiously asked, ”Lin, are you sure this attachment’s size matches your loader?”

”Of course, the Xu Gong loader’s attachment size uses an international standard, and it will fit perfectly with my Xu Gong.”

They loaded the heavy auger attachment onto the flatbed trailer with a forklift.

Lin Yu’an, holding the checklist he perfected with Old George, called the building materials supplier through Bob’s phone.

”Hello, I need to purchase a batch of materials.”

”I need four tons of 425-grade Portland Cement, the latest batch.”

”Construction-grade rebar, 16mm and 20mm, a total of over two thousand kilograms.”

”Also, eight tons of screened dry river sand, and twelve tons of well-graded crushed stone aggregate.”

”Additionally, I need some high-density extruded polystyrene boards for pile foundation insulation and thermal blankets for concrete curing.”

The supplier, listening to the list, mentally estimated that this was quite a standard order volume for a personal home foundation.

He asked, ”Sir, how should we arrange transportation? Do you need our company’s dump truck service for these bulk sand and stone materials?”

”Yes, I need you to arrange for the best-performing heavy-duty dump truck to transport everything at once to Dalton Highway near milestone 115.”

”If possible, I hope you can use nylon bags for packaging, because there’s no way your vehicle can get into my place; the building materials can only be left by the roadside.”

After calculating the total price and the high transportation costs, the sales manager quoted a total price of several tens of thousands of US dollars.

After Lin Yu’an made the payment online, all he could do was wait patiently.

Then, they arrived at the warehouse rented by Lin Yu’an, where they used a key to open the container that was legally shipped from Haines Port.

David and Mike’s camera followed them inside right away, revealing neatly stacked wooden frames, plastic boxes, and wooden crates inside the container.

Pointing at a wooden crate, Lin Yu’an said, ”Inside here is a silent diesel generator with a power of up to 20 kilowatts.”

”As the weather gets hotter, food storage needs refrigerators, and there will be more use of electrical appliances and tools like lights, electronics, and kitchenware.”

”The places that need electricity are increasing, and relying solely on those few solar panels won’t be enough.”

”Wow! This thing sure is a big guy!” David exclaimed.

After moving the generator out, Lin Yu’an took out a few tightly sealed engineering plastic boxes from another corner of the container.

”What’s this?”

”Seeds.”

Lin Yu’an opened a box, and the packaging bags were labeled with names like Hardy Chinese Cabbage, Black Soil Snap Beans, and Alpine Purple Garlic.

”I also prepared some vegetable seeds. It’s late April now, and we’re approaching the May sowing season. We can’t miss this timing.”

After completing this whirlwind procurement and pickup, everyone set off on the return journey.

On the flatbed trailer, there was now only the attachment for the spiral drilling machine and the diesel generator.

Three weeks passed, and it was now early May.

The polar day had arrived, marking the peak season for snow melting, turning the ground into a completely muddy state.

Lin Yu’an’s hundred-day plan was progressing rhythmically, but the melt season’s effects were quite significant and severely affected his efficiency.

This polar day evening, after finishing a day of exhausting work, he made the weekly routine video call right on time.

On the screen, Aliya’s beautiful face soon appeared; she was holding their somewhat sleepy daughter, Olivia.

Seeing her husband, clearly thinner and tired, on the video, her eyes were full of concern.

”Dear, you look too tired.”

Aliya’s voice was filled with worry; she tried her best to sound calm, but her concern was evident.

”You can’t keep toughing it out alone like this; you’ll wear yourself out! We can take our time with the plan; we’re not in a hurry, and summer is still long.”

”Don’t worry, I’m fine. Everything is on track.”

Lin Yu’an smiled and adjusted his posture, trying to make himself look more relaxed.

”It’s just that the workload is indeed huge, but it feels very rewarding to see the woodpile by the campsite grow every day! Today I finished two more.”

Just then, a burly figure suddenly squeezed into the frame in the video background—it was Aliya’s eldest brother, Wyatt.

He took the phone, and the screen shook a little; soon after, second brother Garrett, third brother Bo, and fourth brother Kley also gathered around. Their distinct faces instantly filled the small phone screen.

”Lin, stop pretending.”

Wyatt spoke with his usual steady and powerful voice.

”You’re working every day, and Aliya is worrying about you every day. We’ve already discussed everything with her.”

Lin Yu’an was a bit confused: ”Discussed what?”

The most fiery second brother-in-law Garrett snatched the words and loudly said to the screen.

”In the McKinley family, it’s not right to let our brother-in-law suffer alone in the wilderness!”

Third brother-in-law Bo also chimed in, ”We’ve all managed our respective farms. Each of us has set aside a full two weeks. Next week, we’re flying over to help you.”

Seeing the indisputable expressions of the brothers-in-law on the screen and Aliya’s reassuring smile beside them, a great warmth surged into Lin Yu’an’s heart.

He originally wanted to say, ”I can handle it myself.”

But the words turned into the simplest and most sincere, ”Thank you.”

A week later, at Fairbanks International Airport.

Lin Yu’an stood at the exit and soon spotted the four eye-catching figures.

Wyatt, Garrett, Bo, and Kley, each wearing sturdy work jackets and jeans, with rugged yellow boots on their feet.

Each carried a large backpack; as they walked out of the passage, their strong aura of real working men made the well-dressed tourists around them instinctively make way.

(ps, the faces fit into these.)

David and Mike excitedly recorded the gathering of this logging team.

Excitedly, they whispered to Mike, ”Zoom in! Capture their expressions! This is real family reality TV! Not those fakes acting in Beverly Hills!”

”Hey! Herman!”

The brothers-in-law saw Lin Yu’an and quickly walked up without too many courtesies and pleasantries; each gave him a solid hug.

Other brothers-in-law also approached and gave him a punch, with such force that it made Lin Yu’an wince.

They patted his back heavily, then released him and looked him up and down: ”You’ve lost weight, but you still look pretty fit.”

”You’ve done well, Lin. But now, leave the heaviest work to us!”